


Severus Snape and the Order of the Hedgehogs

by TigerShark



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Botany, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-24
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-03-19 09:52:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,035
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3605784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerShark/pseuds/TigerShark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a Wizarding world a slight bit different than the one we are used to, Severus encounters something unexpected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Warning! this may never be finished. 
> 
> There will be at least one more chapter.

Severus Snape and the Order of the Hedgehogs

 

Severus Snape cursed his life.

 

He also cursed Albus Dumbledore's life, Lord Voldemort's life and the life of the unfortunately deceased Harry Potter. Also the Dursleys, James Potter, Stan Shunpike, and whomever decided the bloody Vivifi Vita potion needed mistletoe and rowan berries plucked from the same tree.

 

Severus stomped gloomily down the dusty road where the Knight Bus had dropped him off outside Blacknest on the edge of the South Downs forest. This was his third stop today, hopping from benighted village to benighted village looking for a botanist, or birdwatcher or really anyone who had spotted any rowan trees possibly infested with mistletoe. He had found either, but never both together and his mood was getting even fouler than the sludge he had for lunch at the dingy pub in the last village.

 

Stan Shunpike should die because of the terrible Knight Bus and his even worse hearing, which had seen Severus delivered to Bucks Nest pub, Backhurst and Bickle before finally landing in Blacknest.

 

Severus peered at another tree just of the road. Not a rowan, blast it. He continued on, in his foul temper. The sun was making his black robes hotter. Soon he'd either have to shuck them off, or use a cooling spell and risk being tracked by bloody Albus bloody Dumbledore and his well meaning band of idiots.

 

That's another one who should die. Curse Albus Dumbledore for being such a meddling fool, for sending poor little Harry to the damned Dursleys and most of all for making it so Severus could barely use magic without getting a twinkly eyed old coot following him around like a besotted krup.

 

Severus passed the weather beaten sign proclaiming the village of Blacknest. Not much of a village. He could just see, down the slight hill and around the edge of a low wall past some trees a small building. He supposed the rest of the village must be further along the road.

 

Curse James Potter for getting himself killed and worse, Lily, who didn't deserve it. And leaving poor little Harry to get lost! Lost! And dead in a hedge! Of all things! by the damned worthless muggles.

 

But most of all curse Lord Voldemort who had killed useless Professor Quirrel two years ago and nicked the bloody Philosphers Stone right out of the Headmasters office. If the madman hadn't gotten a body back however badly put together he, Severus Snape, Potions Master First Class, would not be tramping around the blasted back woods of bloody Britain looking for some damned berries.

 

But no, the Dark Lord couldn't get it right. So now he needed potions and more potions as well as unguents, balms and tisanes of every description to bring his slapdash creation back to perfect health. He hoped the bloody Dark Lord got hives, chilblains and rickets.

 

Severus muttered as he finally found the shop he had been pointed to. It was a bedraggled gardening store, obviously having seen better days. Some filthy young boys lounged on the bench under a tree nearby, playing with balls and cards. The shop itself hadn't had its windows washed in at least months if not years. The thatching was dribbling out from under its stitches to reveal an unapologetic petticoat of blue weatherproofing tarp.

 

Severus didn't even bother taking off his robe before entering the shop. It looked enough like a muggle Oxford robe that he really didn't care what the damned muggles thought.

 

Inside the shop was at least tidy, if dingy. Everything was clean that could be clean, but nothing could disguise the age of the sagging wood counter, or the tin lined old shelves, polished silver with use. An old woman dozed behind the counter, lulled into sleep by the drone of a tiny portable telly wedged between an electric teapot and the till.

 

The shop itself had nothing much of interest, some old magazines on gardening in a rack, old packets of seeds, seed catalogs, a collection of well worn botanical books and various gardening tools. A door marked Greenhouse led out the back with a signed pinned to it declaring it 'open'.

 

“Madame. I've been told I can find a botanist named Erin here?”

 

The old woman opened one rheumy eye and waved Severus towards the Greenhouse door.

 

Severus concealed a sneer, nodded and continued through the door.

 

It wasn't until he had stepped through some of the most prickly invasive public wards he had ever seen that Severus suddenly realized he might have stumbled into some hidden wizards.

 

The greenhouse was entirely too large to have been hidden by the small shop. The roof arched some thirty feet overhead, heavy metal trusses woven through with thick flowering vines. Catwalks ringed what he could see of the walls, through the profusion of large plants, vines, small trees and flowers. A path led straight forward to a small courtyard, with several paths leading away from it into other areas. The air was redolent with the smell of green growing things, water, rich soil flowers and above all the feeling of green things growing just so hard as they ever could.

 

As breathtaking as the collection of plants around him was, Severus was a little bit more concerned by the growing circle of ragged boys armed with pitchforks encircling him. As he looked, more scrambled out from the undergrowth.

 

He held his empty hands out before him.

 

“Pacem. I am seeking a botanist named Erin to assist in finding some rare ingredients. I mean no harm.”

 

“Pacem. That means peace.” Mutters one small child wearing glasses, to the taller one near them. To his surprise Severus realizes the first was a girl.

 

“You made the bells ring.” Another boy, tall and pretty well muscled for a teenager, accuses, holding his pitchfork at the ready.

 

“Ah. The wards. That is quite possible, they are very strong and I've been in a terrible temper all day running around on foolish errands for my Ma … employer.” Severus explained.

 

“Boys!” an older female voice called out. “Be nice to the customer.”

 

“But Hurry …. he made the bells ring.” the dark haired boy said again belligerently.

“Bells or no bells, the vines haven't eaten him so he's just in a mood and not attacking anyone. Get back to work you lollygaggers!'” The girl who strode towards him could have come straight from a victorian travelers novel. She was wearing a suit of explorers khaki's, trousers rolled up to the knee and damp at the bottoms, a vest with many pockets over a plain white button down shirt and a solar topee perched on top of her riot of curls. Her bare feet and shins were spattered with mud and had flecks of green weeds adorning them.

 

She noticed his gaze and smiled.

 

“Erin and I were busy repotting the amazonian waterlilies. No point in wearing wet boots.” She holds out one work worn palm, calloused and thorn prickled.

 

“I'm called Hurry. What brings you to our little corner of greenery?” She asked, gesturing Severus to follow her back down the graveled path she had come from.

 

“I'm Professor Severus Snape. I am looking for a specific variety of plants. I've been inquiring all day, and I was finally told your … Erin .. might be able to help me.”

 

“That is possible, we do have quite a large collection of domestics, as well as wild-caught specimens.” She stated matter of factly as they rounded a corner in the greenhouse. Before them the ground sloped down to a small sandy shoreline. The path continued as a series of small wooden bridges through the wetlands. The immediate way had numerous smaller lilies, some blooming,. In the dark water under the luminous white petals Severus could just the flicker of bright orange fins.

 

“This is quite the collection and a very interesting group of caretakers.” Severus states almost casually.

 

“Erin has taken us all in. Mostly orphans, but some runaways and some who just love plants. Its nearly a school now, we're thinking of hiring a zoologist to add some animals to our greenhouses. We're all very protective of Erin.” She adds, fixing him with her stern chocolate brown gaze. Its with a start that Severus realizes she can't be older than sixteen.

 

“If you could wait here Professor?” Hurry says, motioning to a small gazebo at the end of the path, in a small clearing of mirror smooth water. “I'll go fetch Erin. The amazon lily gardens are inside the walls and you can't go there.” She smiles and continues on the path to another door in the wall of the greenhouse. This one is solid wood and Severus is fairly certain warded to a faretheewell.

 

Severus waits patiently, sitting on the smooth white painted wood of the gazebo. It has been a long day, exhausting and frustrating in equal parts. But at least he has found a fascinating new greenhouse filled with all sorts of interesting things. He was sure he had seen a venomous tentacula back a bit, and that puff of mist had to be a patch of bog fennel, not the ordinary muggle variety but the wizarding variety, good for all sorts of concealment spells. His hands itched to go and have a good hard look around, with a trowel and some shears.

 

“So I understand you set off the alarm bells.” A young male voice stated behind him.

 

Severus turned and saw a ghost.

 

Before him was a young James Potter, messy black hair and all, with hand outstretched, looking just as he did in Hogwarts. After a shocked moment Severus realized the young man had Lily's lambent green eyes. And that was when he realized.

 

“Harry Potter!” he breathed in shock, amazement and horror.


	2. Chapter 2

“Are you feeling better Professor?” Hurry asked with concern, holding out the pot to refresh the cup of tea that Severus held in potion stained fingers.

 

“Yes, some better thank you.” He muttered.

 

“So I take it you knew my parents?” Erin asked, diffidently. The boy was perched on the edge of the bench across from Severus in the gazebo. Between them a tea set was perched on a small folding bamboo table.

 

“I knew your mother since we were children.” Severus decided to gloss over James Potter entirely. “I’m very shocked, I’ve thought you were … gone .. for years. They found a child with your bag one winter.”

 

Erin made a face. “That would probably be Billo. William something .. he stole the bag off me and I figured that not getting my nose broken was the better part of valour. That’s when I decided to head out of London proper and towards the woods.”

 

“I would ask why you were on your own, but I unfortunately knew Petunia.” Severus responded, mind whirring over the possibilities. What to say, what to do, where exactly where his loyalties these days anyhow?

 

“So what were their names actually? My parents?” Erin asked quietly, fingers toying with a loose thread on his own khaki trousers. Erin was wearing an outfit very similar to Hurry’s, but with a wide dark leather belt and a collection of pouches attached to it.

 

“Your mother was Lily Evans, she met your father James Potter at school and married soon after.” Severus answers, trying not to think too much about bloody James Potter and his poor doomed Lily.

 

“Not Black then?” Hurry asked.

 

“Black? No. Actually .. Sirius Black might have been your godfather, I don’t know. By the time you were born Lily and I were … no longer on speaking terms much to my regret.” Severus frowned. That was an oddly specific question.

 

“So why where you looking for me exactly?” Erin asked, casually.

 

“I need ingredients for a life strengthening potion for my Master.” Severus’ eyes widened. That was NOT what he wanted to say.

 

“And who exactly is your Master or Masters?” Hurry asked, voice cold.

 

Severus fought not to answer.

 

He lost the struggle with his wayward tongue.

 

“I have served the Dark Lord Voldemort since 1978. After he targeted your mother I went to Headmaster Dumbledore to try to weaken Voldemort and save her. After she was killed I swore to Dumbledore to protect you with my life. You have drugged me. This isn’t veritaserum, I would have smelled it. What have you given me?”

 

“Veritaserum? Fascinating, I need to get that recipe off you. No this is a little something of my own, mostly it just loosens the tongue but it works better on some than others.” Erin leaned forward, smiling.

 

“Honestly Erin, if he’s sworn an oath to you that might affect it as well.” Hurry added pedantically.

 

“That’s true Hurry.” Erin turned his head to her and smiled. He is missing a tooth on the side.

 

“Well Professor if I let you go what would you do now?” Erin cocked his head, looking at Severus curiously.

 

“I don’t know.” Severus answered, surprised at his own words. “Dumbledore would believe you will save the wizarding world from the Dark Lord, but I’m not sure you should. The Dark Lord believes the prophecy that you will defeat him, but he wants to reform our society and protect us from the Muggles. I want you to be safe, like Lily should have been safe.”

 

“Huh.” Erin pondered.

 

“That reminds me, what is my name exactly?”

 

“What?” Severus gaped in confusion but answered anyway. “Lily wrote it in the announcements she never sent as Harry James Potter, but James had snuck out to Gringotts and registered you as Hadrian Charlus Orion Potter with a drop of your blood to seal it. Both seem to have worked for scrying. I suppose legal contracts would have to be Hadrian.”

 

“Hadrian. I like that. Not bad, but I think I’ll stick to Erin.”

 

“Why are you called Erin?”

 

“Oh when I left That Place I didn’t have a name except Freak or Boy. So after a while I decided I needed one so I looked up the proper name for my favorite animal, hedgehogs. Erinaceinae was a little long, but Erin seemed like a perfectly good name. I spent a lot of quality time living like a hedgehog curled up under the shrubs looking for things to eat. Clever little animals, hedgehogs.”

 

Severus realized that his face is wet. He raised shaking hands to his face. He was crying.

 

“I’m so sorry.” He hid his face. “We have failed you.” The damned tea had eroded Severus’ hard won control much to his consternation.

 

“Did you leave me there?” Erin asked kindly, one hand on Severus’s knee.

 

“No! I told Dumbledore he shouldn’t place you with Petunia no matter what. He wouldn’t tell me where you were. Nobody ever believed my change of allegiance.” Severus badly shaken.

 

“I’m presuming this Voldemort killed my parents? Do you know the prophecy?” Erin asked.

 

“Only part of it. The record is at the Ministry, only the objects of the prophecy can retrieve it.”

 

“Hmm. Hurry, make a note. Find this Ministry and get that prophecy.” Erin asided to Hurry.

 

“Of course Erin. If there is a ministry that presumes it is a government and that means people to govern. And people …”

 

Erin and Hurry said together “And people mean power.” They smiled, like young sharks.

 

“Ok Severus you have another minute or two before you get the shakes and need to lay down. Is there anything you would like to ask me? I did drink the tea as well you see. Fair’s fair.”

 

“What is this place?” was the first thing out of Severus’ mouth.

 

Erin laughed.

 

“I was wandering though the woods and found this old shop at the edge of a small town. There wasn’t anyone there and it was cold so I went inside. When I went into the shed at the back I could see this big door. So I opened that too.”

 

“Much to my surprise I found myself in a beautiful estate garden on a summers day. The creature who lived there told me it was Black Nest, and since I was a Black I belonged there. But they couldn’t get me into the house, just the grounds.”

 

“This whole greenhouse used to be the shed. I needed a little more space. Hurry really helped with that, she’s a genius with magic maths. The servants brought us some old books and things from the schoolroom they could take outside. Bit of a patchy education, but we filled in with things from the local library and what other books my little hedgehogs could truffle up for us.”

 

“This must be one of the old Black family estates! The wards let you in…. I think your grandmother was a Black.”

 

“Ah. Well that would explain it. I must be in the succession someplace then.”

 

Hurry made another note.

 

“What do you want me to do?” Severus asked. “In the end my loyalty must be to you, I owe your father and your mother a great debt.”

 

“Honestly I don’t know, we need more information. Is anyone going to miss you?”

 

“Nobody knows where I am right now, and nobody will much care til term starts in September. There are ways of scrying for a persons location. My Master can always find me. Why are my hands shaking?”

 

Erin says “ Oh blast…” as Severus slide bonelessly off the bench.


	3. Ending Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This story is being discontinued as I am retiring from writing fanfic. Here are my final ntoes on this story.

This story was mainly some silliness poking at some odd ideas.

Erin will not go outside, he is deathly afraid of the flock of owls that follows him around and attacks him when he is outdoors. 

All of the children there are enrolled in his 'school' and so none show up ont he hogwarts school ocne they accept a place with him. msot are runaways, or were brought to them after performing accidental magic.

This included Hurry, born as Hermione

This story picks up during the Triwizard year - so in order to get Harry to the school D invites Harrys school to participate.

While at Hogwarts, Harry who is the kinf of a blackmarket pharmaceutical empire, makes some very valuable connexions with Neville, Zabini and others.

that's pretty much it.


End file.
